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Renaissance In England Summary

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Renaissance literally means revival of art and literature under the influence of classical models but it also implies liberation of thoughts from the bonds of dogmatic thinking and a spirit of experimentation in the liberal hours which acts as a stimulus to renewal. The renaissance in England came a little later than in some of the European countries like France and Italy but it had an advantage in the sense that it benefited from what had already been achieved in these countries. The age was marked by a new awakening in the realm of religious and secular thinking and the emergence of a host of writers in the sphere of poetry, prose and drama who were to make their own mark in the sphere of literature. The literary Renaissance was accomplished …show more content…

Not only the world but also the other writers and critics considered him as a person who was blessed with a mind full of imaginations. Ben Jonson says “He was not of an age, but for all time” [1] calling Shakespeare an all time favourite. Shakespeare’s reputation remained steadfast for more than three hundred years which is commendable and appreciative.
William Shakespeare was born on 23rd April, 1564 at Stratford-on-Avon, a village in Warwickshire. His father was a grain dealer whose fortunes declined after some time and Shakespeare who attended the local grammar school had to give up his studies at the age of 13 or 14 in order to help in the family business. Shakespeare made a hasty marriage to Anne Hathaway, who was eight years senior to him. They had three children: two daughters and a son.
Not much is known about his early life in London but he was attracted towards theatre and stage and got employed as an actor in the plays of Ben Jonson and many …show more content…

The famous Shakespearean tragedies include the names like: Titus Andronicus; Romeo and Juliet; Julius Caesar; Hamlet; Othello; Timon of Athens; Macbeth; King Lear; Antony and Cleopatra. Amongst these, Hamlet; Othello; Lear; Macbeth; Antony and Cleopatra, are considered to be the greatest tragedies. To talk of the downfall of the heroes of these tragedies, in Hamlet it is the excessive refinement of sensibility; in Othello it is excessive simplicity of mind; in Lear it is excessive ego and ungovernable temper; in Macbeth it is over-ambition and in Antony and Cleopatra it is the excessive passion for love. All these flaws in the tragedy, leads to the downfall of the hero of the play.

Another genre was introduced in which the plays were neither tragedies now comedies and hence they were popularly called tragic-comedies. The plays like Pericles; Cymbeline; Winter’s Tale; Tempest can be considered as tragicomedies. These plays contain a lot of tragic matter but have happy endings. Their tone is calm and tranquil but contains furious

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